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Thursday, November 17, 2011

TV: Survivor South Pacific (ep. 10)

Week ten of the new season of Survivor was titled "Running the Show" and clearly there was some stand out performances in the game. Who is actually in charge and does someone try to take that power?

Let's take a look at the details of the episode.

When last we left, Ozzy and Jim were sent to Redemption Island in a double-elimination week. Now it is time to for the three to battle head to head in order to see who avoids the jury. The challenge is a tough one - balance two poles atop the backs of their hands, two poles that support a board above them. Lose balance or a pole slips and your board falls, putting you out of the game. The poles looked deceptively heavy. I wonder how heavy they were. Still, a good challenge for three strong guys. Jim is the first to slide out and thus the first in the jury. Keith goes next, though Ozzy certainly flirted with disaster with his constant reshuffling tactic. So, the jury now has two former Savaii in the pot.

The only thing that is going to kill Ozzy, I think, is his cocky attitude. Yes, he can handle the challenges and survive comfortably on Redemption as the cast offs file through. But his attitude is not going to win him that million even if he somehow gets back in the game and makes it to final tribal. He needs to be a little bit humble. I am not sure that is in him.

Cochran, meanwhile, spends a lot of time with Coach - talking, meditating, tai chi, etc. Interesting strategy to suck up the veteran. Will it pay off? Cochran says he's a student of the game but does he have any more big moves left in him? He talks like it with Dawn and later with Whitney and Albert.

Immunity Challenge is another fun one: balance bowls of rice on your head, cross over a teeter totter and pour rise into basket at far end. Enough rice raises the flag. I was very surprised to see who didn't have the skills for this one (like Coach and Whitney). It was down to Brandon, Dawn and Sophie - but Sophie was smart and filled a bowl to the brim, a risk sure but enough to tip the weight on her third trip to win immunity. Not like she needed it since the majority from Upolo already planned to pick off Dawn, then Whitney.

Albert in talking with those two and Cochran considers going after Edna. He sees it as a way to secure jury favor of the trio when they eventually go. Coach however doesn't like his talking so much with the others. Did he have a talk with Albert that we never saw on camera? Perhaps. For Albert's plan to work he needs Sophie to swing vote. Will she put a bigger target on her back?

At tribal, it pretty much goes down with Dawn being voted out 7-2. Albert did not go through with his plan and fell right in line.

They immediately go into another Immunity Challenge, this time with questions. It gets down to Sophie and Whitney in the final question. One goes true, one goes false. Sophie pulls it off again. Two immunities in a row! And thus voting follows right away with Whitney going out 7-1.

The time for the big power shift was wasted. If the lines stay, Cochran is the next to go. Then it is likely Rick or Brandon. Coach claims he is not running the show but he clearly is. The Upolu alliance has to split at some point. If it splits 3-3, Cochran can become the deciding key-vote again.

We'll find out in two weeks. Next week, Thanksgiving, is a recap clip show.